Al follows him to the door regardless, though when it slams in his face, it's enough of a shock to make Al utterly forget that he can unlock it. Or transmute it open.
He stays for a few seconds, trembling, then carefully slides down to sit by the door, listening hard.
"Have you cleared the rooms on this floor?" Someone asks, loudly, "Yes, the duke came out of that one- we have to hurry to the next level up, come on, there's a chance of ferrying water down, it's clear-"
Then the power shorts out. There's still the light of the windows, but nothing coming in from under the door. The building power is down. Everything is very quiet.
The room starts to smell like smoke. It begins to trickle, gently, around the frame- Barma has built walls of illusion a few inches within the real walls of the room. He heats up the doorknob, gently, begins to raise the temperature, so gradually it'll take a long time to sink in.
It doesn't occur to him at first. His mind is so scattered that his senses are dulled. He stays on the floor and tries to rationalize it out. Maybe there's an emergency. A fight he's breaking up.
Some urgent business he's been called away for.
Al stays where he is, until the smells starts making him cough, and his throat feels dry.
Al doesn't bother transmuting it open. He coughs again, goes to the bed and pulls away the pillowcases. He dumps the contents of his water glass over them, rolls them up and shoves them into the crevices around the door.
He goes to the window again, scanning the crowd. He might have missed him, somehow-
Al does, in soft, wracking sobs that sound painful with how breathless they are. Finally, when Al begins to calm down, Barma will get a fist walloping him in the ribs. Graceless and not at full power, but enough to ache and possibly make him wheeze on the next breath.
no subject
Date: 2012-03-14 06:11 am (UTC)"I'm sorry to cut things off, Al, but-"
There's sound, coming from the hall.
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Date: 2012-03-14 06:13 am (UTC)As close to his fears as he is, his mind flashes to the worst possible scenario.
He reaches for Barma's hand.
no subject
Date: 2012-03-14 06:15 am (UTC)Squeezing his hand, giving his forehead a kiss.
"Wait here. I'll go check what's happening."
No one's knocking- but there's yelling, distantly. Barma climbs off the bed, extricating himself from him gently.
"Stay. Are you going to be all right?"
no subject
Date: 2012-03-14 06:17 am (UTC)"I'm not letting you walk out there alone."
It's stupid, Barma could take care of himself far better than Al could ever protect him, and he's so off that he's probably more of a liability.
no subject
Date: 2012-03-14 06:19 am (UTC)And his illusion slips out the door. Barma himself, carefully tucked out of sight, settles in to play.
The door snicks shut, and audibly locks.
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Date: 2012-03-14 06:22 am (UTC)He stays for a few seconds, trembling, then carefully slides down to sit by the door, listening hard.
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Date: 2012-03-14 06:23 am (UTC)The hall door slams. More running.
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Date: 2012-03-14 06:26 am (UTC)Barma will come back for him. He wouldn't leave him here. Not unless he couldn't come back.
no subject
Date: 2012-03-14 06:27 am (UTC)Then the power shorts out. There's still the light of the windows, but nothing coming in from under the door. The building power is down. Everything is very quiet.
no subject
Date: 2012-03-14 06:29 am (UTC)But Barma wouldn't leave him here. He trusts him. Utterly.
He'll come back for him.
no subject
Date: 2012-03-14 06:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-14 06:37 am (UTC)Some urgent business he's been called away for.
Al stays where he is, until the smells starts making him cough, and his throat feels dry.
It slowly begins to dawn on him.
"Rufus?" he whispers into the silence. "Dodo-?"
no subject
Date: 2012-03-14 06:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-14 06:40 am (UTC)He goes to the window, looks out-
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Date: 2012-03-14 06:43 am (UTC)The sound of the flames are getting closer.
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Date: 2012-03-14 06:45 am (UTC)"Rufus-"
It's a raspy whisper at first.
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Date: 2012-03-14 06:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-14 06:51 am (UTC)He goes to the window again, scanning the crowd. He might have missed him, somehow-
no subject
Date: 2012-03-14 06:52 am (UTC)"You didn't think I'd leave you, did I?"
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Date: 2012-03-14 06:54 am (UTC)He's shaking with the adrenaline.
no subject
Date: 2012-03-14 06:56 am (UTC)"I have you, it's all right, I have you."
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Date: 2012-03-14 06:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-14 07:00 am (UTC)Hand stroking down his back.
no subject
Date: 2012-03-14 07:04 am (UTC)"Don't- don't ever do that to me again-"
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Date: 2012-03-14 07:05 am (UTC)Wheezing, reaching out an arm to him.
"Alphonse, you can be upset, but you can't misbehave."
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